Proving Innocence
by SassySarcasm
Summary: Harry is finally fed up with the school turning on him every other year and takes drastic measures to ensure that everyone knows what REALLY happened, enter Hermione and her knowledge of old magic and who knows what can happen. DISCONTINUED.
1. Prologue

**Title**: Proven Innocent

**Author**: SassySarcasm

**Rating**: T

**Pairings**: Trio-friendship

**Warnings**: Language, Violence

**Summary**: Harry is finally fed up with the school turning on him every other year and takes drastic measures to ensure that everyone knows what REALLY happened, enter Hermione and her knowledge of old magic and who knows what can happen.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** SO this is another one of the cliché story lines for Harry Potter that I'm trying to give a new twist to. This one, however, is the first one where I plan to do more than a one-shot. In a lot of the 'Reading the Books' storylines the books are either sent back by someone in the future or is a tool for Umbridge, I wanted to explore the idea of how it might be if Harry chose to tell everyone.

So as to avoid confusion, this is set in their fourth year and they're going to read at least the 3rd and 4th book.

**-0-0-0-**

"_It is absolutely okay with me if you need to keep some secrets. I've been thinking about this and I decided that a best friend is someone who, when they don't understand, they still understand." _

― Nancy Werlin, Impossible

**-0-0-0**

"Are you sure about this Harry?" Hermione Granger asked hesitantly, brown eyes briefly meeting her friend's own green eyes.

Harry Potter glanced warily around the bathroom once again, checking to be sure no one was around to hear them. Similarly to their second year, they were hiding out in Moaning Myrtle's toilet as they attempted to perform magic that was of questionable… legality.

Even if it _was _legal, they were still sure that it at least broke school rules.

For all that he kept surveying the area, all Harry could really focus on was the gaping absence of their final and third member, Ron Weasley.

Ever since Harry's name had come out of the bloody Goblet of Fire, Ron had refused to talk to him or acknowledge him. And when they _did_ talk it was almost always to fight.

That was the part of what had driven him to do this. He, Hermione, and Ron had all been friends since his first year. They were the closest thing he had to family, and he had to fix this.

"Yes! Hermione I'm sure, this is the only way to prove that I'm not lying! I'm tired of being ostracized for things I didn't do! Its like a school year isn't complete with out everyone hating me for some reason or another!" He snapped, his suppressed anger finally bubbling to the surface.

Instantly he felt guilty, as Hermione had flinched and turned pale.

Harry sighed, visibly deflating, "I'm sorry Hermione, I shouldn't have snapped at you." He told her, genuinely feeling horrible for yelling at her.

Jaw clenched she nodded, forcing a smile.

"Its okay," she told him softly, "I do agree that this is the best way to prove you didn't enter your name," Hermione paused thoughtfully, "But I do think we should cover our third year too."

Bewildered Harry stared at her. He wanted to prove he hadn't been lying about not entering the tournament, what did their third year have to with that?

Seeing his confusion Hermione sighed, "Come on Harry, what happened our third year that this could prove?" she cajoled, smiling when she could practically see the metaphorical light bulb over his head as he understood.

_"Sirius!" _He breathed, "We can prove he's innocent!"

Hermione nodded happily.

Harry surprised her when he grabbed her into a hug, still smiling elatedly, "You're Brilliant Hermione!"

She blushed, giggling when he tried to pull away and her hair got caught on his cloak. It really shouldn't have been funny, especially since the sudden harsh pull on her hair hurt, but for some reason she could stop laughing.

Soon enough Harry got over his shock and they were both laughing at the absurdness of their situation.

When they finally got control of themselves and separated her hair from his cloak Hermione, ever the voice of reason, spoke, "Yes, well, we really should get this started. We can only be gone so long before we're missed."

Without protest Harry rejoined her on the floor. Sitting between them was a shallow dish with runes carved on the side. It was filled with a clear, swirling liquid and had a single candle floating in the center.

"And we won't remember any of this?" Harry asked for the umpteenth time since Hermione had explained her idea.

Hermione nodded decisively in response.

"That way no one can claim that the books, which are how everything will be explained, are biased. Even we won't know we did this." She pouted slightly, "I _am_ disappointed I won't remember performing such old magic."

Harry just nodded sympathetically, he did agree that he wished they would remember but for different reasons. He had a feeling that he wouldn't want some of the more personal moments read aloud, and when he didn't know that this was all his own idea… he had a fair idea of how he was going to react if this worked.

"Lets get on with it then!" Harry ordered, getting Hermione back on track and away from her own mental ramblings.

She nodded and picked up the ceremonial dagger that had previously rested on the floor by a very old looking book.

After double checking the instructions she passed the dagger to Harry.

"It says that we have to add the blood of whomever everything is going to center around," she scanned the text again, "it doesn't say how much blood… couple drops should do it."

When she looked up from the book, she couldn't hold back the shocked gasp that rose to her lips.

_"Harry!" _

He, the reckless idiot, had apparently not been listening or had been ignoring her because when she looked up she saw that he had already cut open his palm. He was now unflinchingly clenching his hand into a fist above the dish, dripping blood into the transparent liquid.

Quicker than Hermione thought possible, the liquid turned red.

Feeling panicked and annoyed, Hermione glared at her friend. When he just shrugged looking decidedly unrepentant, she rolled her eyes and summoned some bandages.

She then proceeded to give him her hardest stare until he took the bandage from her and wrapped up his palm.

Knowing better than to try and tell him off for it, Hermione turned back to the book.

"Next we write the starting date and ending date on a slip of paper and burn it." She recited from the text. As she spoke she scrawled the dates on a piece of parchment.

Finished she blew on the paper to try and dry the ink faster. Once it was dry, she held it over the candle's flame and let it catch fire. She held onto it until that flames came too close to her fingers, then she dropped it into the bowl.

Harry and Hermione leaned forward to watch as the slip of parchment folded in on itself as it burned. When there was only ash left floating in the dish, there was suddenly an explosion of smoke making them cough and choke, reminding both Gryffindor's of one of Seamus' many explosions (Accidental and otherwise.)

When the smoke finally cleared nothing was left, there was no dish, no candle, nothing.

Hermione hummed thoughtfully, "That was rather… anticlimactic."

Harry shrugged, "At least we don't have to clean anything up now." He reasoned.

In response, Hermione rolled her eyes fondly, surprising them both when she laughed. Soon enough she remembered where they were and she was anxious again. "Let's go back to the common rom before we're missed."

She clambered to her feet and stretched, wincing when she heard her back crack. _That's it, no more making potions in the girls' toilet if I can help it. _She thought ruefully as Harry, too, stood and stretched.

As they walked out the door, Harry couldn't resist asking one more time.

"We _Really _won't remember this tomorrow?"

Hermione groaned and reached over to slap the back of his head playfully, "NO!"

**-0-0-0-0-**

**Note: **So I hope you enjoyed that, and are interested? Lol. This is going to be my first serious attempt to write a mulit-chapter fic, so the plan is to at least have two more chapters written before I post one so that I don't get behind. Since this is the prologue and it's relatively short I'll probably post chapter one either later today or tomorrow. Let me know what you think! (:


	2. Chapter 1

**Title**: Proven Innocent

**Author**: SassySarcasm

**Rating**: T

**Pairings**: Trio-friendship

**Warnings**: Language, Violence

**Summary**: Harry is finally fed up with the school turning on him every other year and takes drastic measures to ensure that everyone knows what REALLY happened, enter Hermione and her knowledge of old magic and who knows what can happen.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** AND heres chapter one! I'm posting this really soon after the prologue because, well, the prologue is shortish and doesn't really give you a good idea about how this is going to be written and this should do that! Don't expect updates this soon all the time, I'm gonna try to get a chapter up a week. ENJOY!

**-0-0-0-**

"_To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says, but to go off with him and travel in his company." _

- Andre Gide

**-0-0-0**

Hermione flipped through her transfiguration text book as she waited for Harry to come down from his dorm so they could head to breakfast.

For all that she was the girl she almost always beat him to the common room, the only time she didn't was when he had early morning Quidditch practice.

"Morning 'Mione." Harry mumbled sleepily as he stumbled, half fell down the tower stairs.

Startled from her reading, Hermione looked up at her friend. He didn't look like he'd slept much, if at all.

His hair was even messier than normal, his tie was loose around his neck, and he had circles under his eyes which were duller today.

"More nightmares?" she guessed as she stood and tried to sling her heavy bag over her shoulder.

She barely made it halfway through the movement before Harry, even in his half asleep state, managed to swipe it from her grip and sling it over his shoulder next to his own bag.

Hermione huffed and prepared to lecture him about how being female didn't mean she couldn't carry her own bag when she saw something that caught her attention much more thoroughly.

The hand that was adjusting his and her bags' strap on Harry's shoulder was bandaged with what looked like a blood stain.

"Harry!" she cried, grabbing his hand, "What did you do to your hand?"

She turned his hand over in her grip, trying to judge what was wrong with it without removing his bandage.

As she stared at his obviously injured and bandaged hand, she felt as if she _should _know how it happened. But she didn't.

Harry too, stared at his hand, just as confused. He tried to remember what he had done last night but he only had a vague memory of doing homework with Hermione in the common room, which was weird because these days they did most of their homework in the library.

"I… I don't remember." He said finally, voice as lost as his thoughts.

On the other hand, Hermione had already moved past the _why and how _and had a spiel about lying and being more careful on the tip of her tongue, only to cut herself off when she looked up and caught sight of her best friend's face.

He was paler than before and his eyes were unfocused and confused. She knew him well enough, had seen him lie to teachers and others so often, that she could tell when he was faking confusion. He wasn't

"You really don't know do you?" she asked, beginning to feel concerned.

Harry, however, didn't seem to share in her concern. He shook his head as if to clear it, and took his hand back, heading towards the portrait hole. "I'm hungry, let's head to breakfast."

She was left with no choice but to follow him, because he had all her books slung over his shoulder.

But she had no intention of forgetting about his hand. She would just wait till he was least expecting it, and then she'd make him talk to her about it.

_After all he couldn't really forget how he injured his hand right?_

**-0-0-0-0-**

As had become customary the Great Hall quieted as soon as Harry walked in. He struggled to keep a straight face as he walked towards the Gryffindor table.

Only Hermione's comforting presence at his side enabled him to keep hold of his temper. It just wasn't fair, he didn't even _like _being the center of attention and when something finally came along that was more interesting than him, something happened to put him in the spotlight again.

Hermione had called it Irony.

Harry was pretty sure he hated irony.

"Just ignore them," Hermione advised as they sat at the table. They were sitting away from where they usually would.

Before everything had happened they would have been sitting with Ron over by Dean, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati. Now they were sitting by Neville (Who was sitting across from Hermione) and the Quidditch team.

George and Fred made kissy faces at the pair when they saw them. Hermione and Harry though were thoroughly used to their antics and only exchanged exasperated looks before turning to their food.

It was hard for Harry to concentrate on eating when he could feel everyone staring at him. The problem was compounded by the fact that it wasn't just Hogwarts now. Beauxbaton and Durmstrang were here too, and staring just as much.

Today the Beauxbaton students sitting at the Ravenclaw table, whereas the majority of the Durmstrang students were at the Slytherin table.

Harry strongly suspected that the visiting schools were purposefully avoiding the tables where one of the Hogwarts' champions sat regularly. Cedric had the Hufflepuff table and Harry had the Gryffindor table.

The hall, seeing that he wasn't doing anything more interesting than eating, turned back to their food and quieted by a considerable amount.

Breakfast was going as normal until around the time where some students got up to head to class early or to grab something before class.

Viktor Krum and some of his fellow Durmstrang friends had almost made it out of the Great Hall when the large doors slammed shut with a bang.

"Vat is this?" Viktor demanded, half suspecting that he was being pranked again. As an opponent to Hogwarts and one of Harry's rivals, he had been targeted for many pranks by the twins.

Everyone looked around confused as the windows too slammed shut and even the doors that lead to separate side rooms slammed shut.

Pandemonium struck.

Students everywhere were talking, while teachers were at once trying to calm them down AND figure out what was going on.

Harry feeling annoyed, pulled out his wand and set off several loud bangs.

It effectively made everyone quiet down, and Harry (Hand throbbing from gripping his wand too hard) sighed gustily.

"Honestly, you'd think the world was ending instead of just some doors and windows shutting." He muttered as he sat back down.

He'd spoken quietly, but his voice carried through the room.

Hermione laughed softly and nudged his shoulder affectionately.

Harry grinned at her, ignoring the glare Ron was sending his way. He could have been over there with them if he had wanted to. It was his own fault he wasn't.

Coming back to themselves everyone returned to their seats.

Dumbledore finally stood up and appeared to be about to make an announcement, perhaps to explain what had just happened, when two books fell from the ceiling to land in front of him.

Instead of erupting into chaos like last time, everyone stared silently instead.

Eyes twinkling, Dumbledore picked up the first book and examined it.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." He read aloud, secretly enjoying the range of reactions he got.

Harry groaned and beat his head against the table.

Hermione tried to make him stop.

Ron turned green.

Malfoy and his Slytherin buddies looked disgusted.

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were curious.

And finally the visiting schools just looked confused.

"This is an intriguing turn of events." Dumbledore stated, smiling genially at the hall, "And since it seems we're stuck in here for now, perhaps we should read these books."

Horrified, Harry looked up at the Headmaster, "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed, dreading the thought of reading a book about himself.

Dumbledore merely chuckled, "It seems we have nothing else to do." He replied gently, "I think I would like to read first."

He opened the book with a flourish and flipped to the start of the first chapter.

Clearing his throat he began:

**Chapter One: Owl Post**

**Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.**

"Hear that George? Harry's Unusual!" Fred said to his twin, pitching his voice to be sure everyone heard.

"Highly unusual, Fred!" George replied with just as much drama.

Harry groaned and considered hexing them.

**For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of the year.**

"Why?" Katie asked, sending their seeker a concerned look.

Shrugging, Harry refused to answer.

**For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. **

Harry shook his head, cutting off anyone and everyone who was about to ask why. He didn't feel like explaining.

**And he also happened to be a wizard.**

** It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (**_** A History of Magic **_**by Bathilda Bagshot) propped against the pillow.**

Hermione smiled, "I do that too" she shared, "Though not for school work. I usually do it when my parents want me to go to sleep but I want to finish my book…" she trailed off sheepishly.

Laughing, Harry looped his arm around her shoulders affectionately.

**Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write this essay, "Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless – Discuss."**

"We had that one too!" The twins chorused, unnerving those who didn't know them. It always surprised people when they talked at the same time.

**The quill paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read: **

_**Non-Magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real with or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty seven time in various disguises.**_

"British vizards are veird," commented one of the Durmstrang students from where he sat by the Slytherin Quidditch team.

Many of the Hogwarts students glared at him, but he was a larger boy and shrugged it off undaunted.

Harry, however, laughed, "At the time I agreed."

**Harry put the quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his ink bottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer.**

"What!" McGonagall exploded to her feet, "Tell me you read that wrong Albus." She demanded, pale as she remembered the day she spent watching that family.

She dearly hoped she was wrong.

Albus shook his head, "It does say that."

Grasping straws, McGonagall turned to Harry, "They wouldn't have really done that, would they?"

He shrugged, unconcerned, "It doesn't matter, they didn't catch me anyways." He told her, motioning for Dumbledore to continue.

No one had ever listened to him before when he tried to explain how the Dursleys were, he was done trying to make them listen.

Hermione grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

**The Dursley family of number four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives.**

"That's not true!" Malfoy exclaimed, before blushing when he realized everyone had heard and turned to look at him.

Sighing he explained, "Your grandmother on your dad's side was born a Black, making us something of cousins, though a couple times removed."

Harry stared, "I didn't know…"

Malfoy nodded, "I figured that out when you didn't want to get to know me." He pointed out dryly.

Suddenly Harry flashed back to how on the train that first year Malfoy had seemed much more interested once he knew Harry was THE Harry Potter.

At the time he thought it was just more 'boy-who-lived crap' but could this be the real reason?

**They were muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof.**

The teachers who had known the Potters looked mildly horrified.

"If you ever have questions you're free to ask me," McGonagall offered softly.

Harry smiled up at her, nodding.

Snape clenched his hands into fists; feeling sure that those stories would mostly be about James.

**For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him.**

"Oh, Harry" Hermione whispered, grasping his hand tighter.

The Weasleys, including Ron, looked angry.

"Your spending summer with us!" declared Ginny, to the approval of her brothers.

Harry smiled gratefully, though deep down he doubted Dumbledore would allow it.

**To their fury, they had been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spellbooks, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors.**

"That eez 'orrible!" Fluer Delacour cried, "How will he learn anything?"

Many Ravenclaws voiced their agreement.

** This separation from his spellbooks had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work.**

"We would have understood and given you extra time if you had explained the situation." Professor Sprout explained kindly.

Harry nodded, somewhat doubtful that it would really work out that way. There was Snape to consider after all.

**One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month.**

Many of the Gryffindors who had personal experience with this side of Snape glared.

**Harry had therefore seized his chance the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices so that the rest of the street would notice it too), -**

"Zat iz very annoying!" Gabrielle Delacour declared, causing many of the older girls to smile at her indulgently.

"Oui, et ez." Her sister agreed, reaching over to fondly ruffle her hair.

**-Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom.**

"We taught him how to do that!" The twins declared proudly, puffing their chests out in a parody of Percy when he was acting pompous.

**As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night.**

** Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation.**

Ron, momentarily forgetting he was mad at Harry, leaned around Seamus so he could look at him, "Sorry about that again, Mate."

Too shocked to answer Harry just nodded, wondering briefly if maybe this would be a good thing after all.

**Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call.**

"What's a fellyfone?" Tracey Davis, a Slytherin in Harry's year, asked.

Hermione sighed but volunteered the information nonetheless, "It's a device muggles use to communicate over distance. Kind of like a handheld floo call, though you can't see their face."

**"Vernon Dursley speaking."**

**Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer.**

** "HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I – WANT—TO –TALK—TO—HARRY-POTTER!"**

Professor Burbage looked down at Weasley, "Might I suggest that you should have taken Muggle Studies, ?"

Ron's ears and everything attached, turned red in the fashion only Weasleys seemed to manage, and he nodded sheepishly.

**Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm.**

Harry laughed, remembering Vernon's face. It hadn't been funny then considering the circumstances… but now… well that was a different ball game altogether.

** "WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?"**

** "RON-WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field.**

** "I'M—A—FRIEND—OF—HARRY'S—FROM-SCHOOL-"**

** Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot.**

** "THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arms' length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!"**

"Well that went well…" Cedric Diggroy murmured, surprised at Harry's Uncle's extreme reaction.

Ginny nodded in agreement. "I thought Ron was exaggerating," she told everyone glancing at her brother, "Guess not."

Wisely Ron held his tongue, and settled for glaring at his only sister. She was still cross with him over his betrayal of Harry and had already hexed him once; he had no desire for a repeat.

**And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider.**

**The fight that followed had been one of the worst ever.**

"For now…" Harry muttered, imagining the welcome he was going to get this summer. Last he saw had been trying to shrink Dudley's tongue after the twins had tricked him into eating one of their prank candies.

"**HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE -PEOPLE LIKE **_**YOU!"**_** Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit.**

Disgust seemed to be the general feeling throughout the hall as many girls gagged and even some of the boys looked nauseated.

** Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either.**

Hermione smiled at being mentioned, "Sorry Harry. I didn't want to make things worse."

"I figured as much," Harry replied, tightening his grip around her shoulders in thanks.

He ignored the looks they were receiving with practice.

Hermione was his closest friend, and if he wanted to put his arm around her it wasn't anyone else's business but theirs.

**Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts.**

"Of course I wouldn't say that," Hermione exclaimed, "You told us enough times that they hated magic."

"Do they really hate magic Potter?" Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff in their year, asked.

Sighing, Harry nodded, "I'm sure you'll see just how much in this book."

No one liked the sound of that.

**So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one.**

"Really? As bad as-" George started.

"-Second year?" Fred finished, remembering the bars that had been on Harry's window and how hungry Harry had been.

Harry didn't answer.

The Weasleys exchanged looks. They were going to have to talk to their parents.

**There was just one very small improvement—after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night.**

"They don't let you write to your friends?" Cho Chang asked, aghast. She couldn't imagine a summer without writing to her friends and Cedric.

Harry just shrugged, unwilling to talk about it in front of everyone.

**Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time.**

**Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. **_**It must be very late, **_**Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps he's finish this essay tomorrow night…**

** He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bad; put the flashlight, **_**A History of Magic, **_**his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. **

"That's a cool hiding place!" Dennis Creevy said enviously, "I wish I had a place like that in my room." He pouted.

The Gryffindors laughed and began to tease him affectionately.

**Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table.**

** It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour.**

"Happy Birthday Harry!" the majority of the Great Hall chorused, making it feel like the whole room was vibrating.

Harry blushed, but managed to keep a somewhat straight face, "You know it's not really my birthday right?"

** Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life.**

Harry groaned, and rested his head on Hermione's shoulder, burying his burning face in her hair. He did NOT want to see the looks of pity he knew were being directed in his direction.

Feeling protective, Hermione glared at anyone who dared to look at them for longer than five seconds.

** The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one.**

** Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets.**

Hoping that the book was done talking about his birthday, Harry lifted his head from Hermione's shoulder. He was relieved to see that everyone was focusing on the book.

"Thanks," he whispered, careful to be sure no one else heard.

She just smiled at him understandingly and snuggled closer to him.

**Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her; she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon – she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him.**

This time when everyone turned to look at him, Harry growled, "Enough! I don't want your pity! If I did I would have told you this on my own!"

Cowed, the majority of the school averted their gaze. Only those who knew him well kept looking, and he couldn't bring himself to glare at them.

**Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year.**

"Finally taller than Hermione!" Harry commented, playfully poking Hermione's forehead.

Those around the pair laughed at Hermione's affronted face.

**His jet-black hair, however, was just as it had always been – stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it.**

Angelina Johnson, one of the chasers on the Gryffindor team, reached over and ruffled his hair, "For anyone else's standards it always looks like you just finished playing Quidditch, and when you've actually been playing…" she trailed off laughing.

Soon everyone followed suit.

Harry pouted, playing up his role as the baby and youngest on the team, before giving in and laughing too.

**The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

Harry flattened his hair over his forehead, glaring at any and all who tried to get a look at it.

** Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash.**

There was an instant uproar after that particular line. Even the Slytherins were up in arms about it; unable to believe that Potter's own family had told him such a thing and had lied about something like that.

It would have gone on for much longer if Dumbledore hadn't set off several purple firecrackers, and gotten everyone under control.

"If I might continue?" Dumbledore asked, though everyone knew it wasn't a question.

**They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort.**

The majority of the hall flinched; some of the first years even yelped or shrieked.

Harry rolled his eyes, glad that Hermione (Who still wouldn't say the name) had at least NOT flinched.

**Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled…**

**But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts.**

"What?" was the general outcry from the student who hadn't already been in the know.

Harry looked down, he'd forgotten how many didn't know about all the things he'd been up to these past few years.

Many knew the rumors of what happened, but if there had been any rumors about him meeting Voldemort they were probably ignored and believed to be false.

"QUIET!" Dumbledore thundered, "Yes, Voldemort has been in the school some these past years, but you all were never in any danger. I saw to that."

His statement seemed to soothe everyone, as all the students settled back down.

Harry glared at the headmaster, knowing the man had lied.

**Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky to even have reached his thirteenth birthday.**

"Don't say that!" Hermione protested faintly, "Or think it!'

**He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Gazing absently the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing. **

**Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. **

"Vat is it?" Krum wondered aloud, getting caught up in the reading.

Harry smiled good-naturedly, "You'll see."

**For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside.**

** Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third which appeared to be unconscious.**

"Errol!" The Weasleys shouted. 

** They landed with a soft **_**flump **_**on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and grey, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs.**

** Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once—his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family.**

The Weasleys cheered.

** Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water.**

"I really am surprised he's still alive…" Ginny mused thoughtfully. She couldn't count how many times they had all thought he was done for.

** Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy owl, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looking extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, and then flew across the room to join Errol.**

Harry smiled fondly; he really did love his owl.

**Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest.**

"Your Hogwarts book list?" Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw, guessed.

Harry nodded.

"Zat ez very convenient." Fluer observed.

**When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night.**

** Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold, and his first ever birthday card.**

Ron smiled, glad that he was the first one to ever give Harry a birthday card. It was only right after all, he had been his first friend.

He was conveniently forgetting that he and Harry weren't talking at the moment.

**Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out- a letter and a newspaper clipping.**

** The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper the **_**Daily Prophet, **_**because the people in the black and white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read:**

_**MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE**_

_**SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE**_

**Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts**

**Office at the Ministry of Magic, had won the**

**Annual **_**Daily Prophet **_**Grand Prize Galleon Draw.**

**A delighted told the **_**Daily Prophet,**_

"**We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday**

**In Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a**

**Curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding bank."**__

**The Weasley family will be spending a month in**

**Egypt, returning for the start of the new school**

**Year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley**

**Children currently attend.**

**Harry scanned the moving Photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little ; tall, balding ; six sons; and one daughter, all (Though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming red hair. **

"You really sent him the clipping?" Fred asked, giving Ron a funny look. He and George had been teasing Ron about telling everyone but they hadn't expected he really had.

Ron blushed, "He wouldn't have known otherwise, he doesn't order the Prophet." He pointed out fairly.

** Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny.**

Harry tensed at the mention of Wormtail, though only Hermione really noticed. She pressed closer, squeezing his hand in a silent show of support.

He squeezed back.

** Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor.**

All the Weasleys turned bright red, "_Harry!_"

** He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it.**

_**Dear Harry,**_

_** Happy Birthday!**_

_** Look, I'm really sorry about the telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted.**_

_** It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last on. There were all these mutant skeleton in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff.**_

_** I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me new want for next year.**_

** Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds.**

"You haff very bad luck, Potter." Krum told him, shaking his head in disbelief, and they weren't even through one chapter. If this was anything like other books this was still the recap section.

_**We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there?**_

_** Don't let the Muggles get you down!**_

_** Try and come to London,**_

_**Ron**_

_** P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week.**_

"You don't sound very happy about that," Marietta Edgecombe, one of Cho Chang's friends, pointed out.

Ron shrugged, "I wasn't."

** Harry glanced at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun.**

** Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it.**

_**Harry - This is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it Rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup.**_

The twins turned and high-fived each other as the Quidditch team laughed and cheered for them. They had all been victims of the twins frequently and it was nice to hear about it happening to someone other than them.

_**Bye –**_

_** Ron**_

**Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands on his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought.**

Hermione smiled, "My turn!"

** Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card and a letter, this time from Hermione.**

_**Dear Harry,**_

_** Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right.**_

_** I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you – what if they'd opened it at customs?—But then Hedwig showed up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world). Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous – the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating.**_

_** There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my who History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out. I hope it's not too long – it's two rolls of parchment more that Professor Binns asked for.**_

It was Hermione's turn to hide her face in Harry's shoulder as everyone turned to stare at her in disbelief.

_** Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your Aunt and Uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first **_

_** Love from,**_

_** Hermione**_

_** P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it.**_

** Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book of very difficult spells – **

Those who knew Hermione nodded in agreement, secretly sure it was a book.

**But it wasn't.**

"Really?" Lavender asked, looking at Hermione, who was one of her dorm mates. She thought she'd had Hermione pegged.

Hermione shook her head, "It's really not a book." She told everyone, somewhat exasperated that everyone thought she was only capable of giving books as presents.

**His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading **_**Broomstick servicing kit.**_

** "Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside.**

Hermione smiled smugly, feeling vindicated, "I knew you'd appreciate it."

Amused, Harry nudged her, "You were right."

** There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys and a **_**Handbook of do-it-yourself Broomcare.**_

The many Quidditch enthusiasts (Barring Krum) sighed in envy.

** Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world – highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks.**

This time ALL the Quidditch fans cheered.

** Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom.**

Krum nodded thoughtfully, to be playing on an organized Quidditch team that young would be an advantage if you ever wanted to go pro. He'd have to see how the Potter boy flew; maybe he'd encourage him to go pro.

He needed a fresh challenge.

** Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and leather, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly - as though it had jaws.**

The students who'd had Hagrid that year exchanged wary glances, c_ould it be?_

** Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view on what was dangerous.**

"You got that right," Malfoy muttered.

**Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders **(Ron shuddered)**, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin.**

"There really was a dragon?" McGonagall asked faintly.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance with each other, than Malfoy, "Yes!" the three chorused.

Everyone stared at the strange occurrence.

** Harry poked the parcel nervously. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his head ready to strike.**

"That's right, be ready, if that's what I think it is you'll need to be!" Neville muttered much to the amusement of those around him.

Neville had a healthy dislike for those books.

**Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled.**

** And out fell - a book. Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title **_**The Monster Book of Monsters, **_

The past third years, now fourth years, who had been dreading just this event, groaned.

**Before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled side-ways along the bed like some weird crab.**

** "uh-oh," Harry muttered.**

** The Book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hand and knees and reached for it.**

By now everyone was on the edge of their seats as they listened.

** "Ouch!"**

** The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forwards and managed to flatten it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door.**

** Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he bucjled tightly around it. The **_**Monster Book**_** shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and snatched for Hagrid's card.**

"I was hoping it would explain why I was just attacked by a book," Harry complained as he stared at the ceiling. He was ready for this to be over already, and he had a sinking feeling they'd only just begun.

_**Dear Harry, **_

_** Happy Birthday!  
>Think you might find this useful for next year.<strong>_

_** Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you.**_

_** Hope the Muggles are treating you right,**_

_** All the best,**_

_** Hagrid**_

**It stuck Harry as ominous that Hagrud thought a bting book would come in useful, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left.**

** Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and read:**

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_** Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.**_

_** Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parents or guardian to sign.**_

_** A list of books for next year is enclosed.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_** Professor M. McGonagall**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

** Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot here. But how on eath was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia to sign the form.**

** He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning.**

** Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reach up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. The he took off his glasses and lay down, eyes open, facing his three birthday cards.**

** Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else - glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.**

Dumbledore marked the page and shut the book, "That's the end of Chapter One, who would like to read next?"

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	3. Chapter 2

**Title**: Proven Innocent

**Author**: SassySarcasm

**Rating**: T

**Pairings**: Trio-friendship

**Warnings**: Language, Violence

**Summary**: Harry is finally fed up with the school turning on him every other year and takes drastic measures to ensure that everyone knows what REALLY happened, enter Hermione and her knowledge of old magic and who knows what can happen.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** Well, here is Chapter 3! After all the positive review I got from the prologue and Ch.1 I couldn't resist putting this out earlier than originally planned! Thanks for all the amazing reviews!

**-0-0-0-**

"_A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often – just to save it from drying out completely."_

-Pam Brown

**-0-0-0-**

"I'll read next," Professor McGonagall volunteered, accepting the book when it was passed to her.

She took a moment to adjust her glasses before opening the book to the page Dumbledore had marked for her and began to read…

**Chapter two: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake**

Ron looked up from where he'd been staring at the table, "Is this when…?" he asked, remembering what Harry had told him about his aunt.

Unable to stop himself Harry burst out laughing, "Yeah, this is it."

Hermione huffed, trying to look disapproving, but even she couldn't keep a slight smile off her face.

Everyone else exchanged looks, wondering what they were talking about, but Harry just motioned for them to keep reading. It was clear he had no intention of telling them.

** Harry went down to breakfast the next morning to find the three Dursleys already sitting around the kitchen table. They were watching a brand-new television, a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley, who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room.**

"Wow, your cousin is really lazy, Harry." Dean told him, staring at the book in disbelief, "And your aunt and uncle are making it worse!"

Harry just shrugged; this was nothing new to him after all.

**Dudley had spent most of the summer in the kitchen, his piggy little eyes fixed on the screen and his five chins wobbling as he ate continually.**

"They can't see that that's not healthy?" Madame Pomfrey wondered aloud.

Even knowing she had meant it rhetorically Harry answered, "Nope." He told her, popping the 'p'.

**Harry sat down between Dudley and Uncle Vernon, a large, beefy man with very little neck and a lot of mustache. Far from wishing Harry happy birthday, none of the Dursleys made any sign that they had noticed Harry enter the room,**

"Zey are 'orrible!" One of the Beauxbatons students exclaimed, sounding aghast.

**But Harry was far too used to this to care. He helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reported on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict:**

"… **The public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line had been set up, ****and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."**

Harry smiled at the mention of his godfather, this was the first time he'd heard of the man, it was just unfortunate that this was how he first heard of him.

Moody's eyes narrowed, he happened to know that Black had not actually been a death eater, he had been there when the real traitor had come to the Dark Lord claiming he could him the Potters on a platter.

"**No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"**

"Sirius would be horrified," McGonagall commented (interrupting herself) "He always put so much work into his hair…"

"You knew Black, Professor?" Angelina asked, leaning around the large Oliver Wood so she could see their head of house.

McGonagall sighed sadly, remembering how promising he had been. It seemed his darker roots had won out in the end though, "I taught him." She told Angelina finally, her tone making it clear she didn't want to say more.

**He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon. Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle, Harry felt very well groomed indeed.**

Harry laughed, "Can you really blame me?" he asked everyone, shaking his head before continuing, "He really shouldn't have compared our hair anyway! Sirius' was down to his elbows!"

"His hair was pretty bad…" Ron backed Harry up, shuddering as he remembered that night. He still had scars on his ankle from Sirius' bite.

Pleased with how the two were slowly beginning to at least speak to each other without yelling, Hermione smiled; _maybe this will be good for them. _

**The reporter had reappeared. "The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today –"**

"**Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from!**

Malfoy snorted, "They can't really tell Muggles he came from Azkaban, Muggles wouldn't even know where that was." He commented scornfully.

"Yeah? Well do you know what Alcatraz is?" Hermione challenged, annoyed that he was implying Muggles didn't know anything about their world, when _he _didn't know anything about the muggle world.

At least most Muggles had the excuse of not knowing about magic, Malfoy and other purebloods had no such excuse.

Malfoy proved her point when he flushed and looked down at the table, unable to answer.

-**What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!"**

**Aunt Petunia, who was bony and horse-faced, whipped around and peered intently out of the kitchen window. Harry knew Aunt Petunia would simply love to be the one to call the hot line number. She was the nosiest woman in the world and spent most of her life spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbours.**

"Some people really don't change," Snape commented, speaking for the first time since this had begun.

Harry looked at him curiously, "Did you know my Aunt, sir?" he asked, making an effort to be polite.

It seemed, however, that Snape was not as inclined towards politeness. He just sneered and motioned for McGonagall to continue reading.

"**When will they learn," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?"**

Susan Bones, gasped feeling sick to her stomach. "That's horrible!" Her Aunt, Amelia Bones, had raised her from age 1 when her parents died, and had instilled a deep sense of justice into Susan.

"So is going to Azkaban without a trial," Hermione pointed dryly.

Everyone looked confused.

"Vat does zat 'ave do with anyzing?" Fluer asked, looking around as if expecting someone to answer her.

No one did.

"**Very true," said Aunt Petunia, who was still squinting into next door's runner beans.**

**Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten."**

**Harry, whose thoughts had been upstairs with the Broomstick Servicing Kit, was brought back to earth with an unpleasant bump.**

"**Aunt Marge?" he blurted out. "Sh – she's not coming here, is she?"**

"I swear my heart stopped when I heard she was coming." Harry muttered, thinking resentfully of all the times she had set her dogs on him for entertainment.

**Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister.**

**Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), he had been forced to call her "Aunt" all his life.**

**Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's mind.**

**At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Margo had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick to stop him from beating Dudley at musical statues.**

"Is the whole family that terrible?" questioned Daphne Greengrass feeling mildly horrified. Every family had a few… unpleasant apples (Hers was her father, a strict man who believed women should be seen not heard) but surely some of them must be at least bearable?

Harry nodded, "The one's I've met are."

**A few years later, she had turned up at Christmas with a computerized robot for Dudley and a box of dog biscuits for Harry.**

**On her last visit, the year before Harry started at Hogwarts, Harry had accidentally trodden on the tail of her favourite dog. Ripper had chased Harry out into the garden and up a tree, and Aunt Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight. The memory of this incident still brought tears of laughter to Dudley's eyes.**

"I'd like to bring tears to his eyes for very different reasons," Fred snarled, shocking everyone. People often forget that Fred and George weren't the same person, and very few were privy to the fact that Fred was the sadistic one of the two.

Without hesitating George nodded, bringing out a little black notebook and leaned over it. What the twins were writing in there was anyone's guess.

Lee Jordan, the twins' closest friend, glanced warily between the two.

"**Marge'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject" – he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry – "we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."**

**Dudley smirked and withdrew his gaze from the television.**

**Watching Harry being bullied by Uncle Vernon was Dudley's favourite form of entertainment.**

"Are you really related to them, Harry?" Lisa Turpin, one of the quieter Ravenclaws, asked. She didn't know Harry well, but she couldn't see how he had anything in common with these people.

Harry grimaced, "Sadly, yes."

"**Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge."**

"**All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me."**

"You just couldn't keep quiet could you?" Hermione teased, tugging on a strand of Harry's hair.

"Of course not." He replied, laughing lightly.

Those who heard the exchange snickered.

"**Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any – any funny stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?"**

"**I will if she does," said Harry through gritted teeth.**

Katie Bell smiled, "Good on you Harry, don't let them get you down!" she lectured.

Amused, Harry lifted an eyebrow at her, "Sure thing Katie."

"**And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys."**

There was a general outcry of anger, "They told her _WHAT?" _Ginny demanded her Weasley temper flaring up.

All the Weasley boys shrunk back from her, momentarily reminded of their mother.

"They did." Harry confirmed grimly, still uncomfortable with everyone reading about his home life.

"**What?" Harry yelled.**

"**And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble," spat Uncle Vernon.**

**Harry sat there, white-faced and furious, staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a weeklong visit – it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given him, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

"**Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?"**

"**No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had finished threatening Harry.**

"**Duddy's got to make himself smart for his auntie," said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley's thick blond hair. "Mummy's bought him a lovely new bow tie."**

The twins pretended to gag with disgust, amusing those who saw, and began dancing around and generally causing a ruckus.

They'd been sitting still for over an hour, reading a book, and they were running out of patience. Neither of them was good at sitting still for long, and thus they were relieving their energy.

No one noticed at first when Wood stood up, it didn't last as he was noticed when he caught the twins by their collars and gave them a rough shake, "Stop goofing around, or I'll find a way to have Quidditch practice _just _so I can make you run." He threatened, knowing the twins particularly hated when they were made to run laps.

Teachers and students alike watched, shocked, as the twins turned meek as kittens and returned to their seats.

The only ones who didn't look surprised were those on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and that was only because this (or something similar) happened almost every practice.

Now that they were all seated Wood looked up at McGonagall, "Continue please, Professor."

**Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder.**

"**See you in a bit, then," he said, and he left the kitchen.**

**Harry, who had been sitting in a kind of horrified trance, had a sudden idea.**

Ron groaned, remembering all the times Harry's plans had gone wrong. His plans only seemed to work when they were made up on the spot, when he was in a life or death situation.

**Abandoning his toast, he got quickly to his feet and followed Uncle Vernon to the front door. Uncle Vernon was pulling on his car coat.**

"**I'm not taking you," he snarled as he turned to see Harry watching him.**

"**Like I wanted to come," said Harry coldly. "I want to ask you something."**

**Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously.**

"**Third years at Hog – at my school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry.**

"**So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, taking his car keys from a hook next to the door.**

"**I need you to sign the permission form," said Harry in a rush.**

"**And why should I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon.**

"**Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits –"**

"Is this going where I think its going?" Blaise, another Slytherin, asked curiously. If he didn't know better he would think this was a Slytherin talking, the plan was certainly cunning enough to be one.

If he was right about where Harry was going with this anyway.

"**St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, and Harry was pleased to hear a definite note of panic in Uncle Vernon's voice.**

"**Exactly," said Harry, looking calmly up into Uncle Vernon's large, purple face. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?"**

Blaise nodded to himself, he had a feeling he'd get along with Potter.

Snape's jaw dropped, "That was rather Slytherin of you Potter."

Nonchalant, Harry shrugged, "Too bad it didn't work."

That sounded slightly foreboding.

"Why not?" Tracey asked.

Harry smirked at her, making some stare at how like a Slytherin he looked just then, as if to match the new Slytherin side of him many were just noticing.

"You'll see."

"**You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised.**

"Oi!" yelled many of the Gryffindors, enraged that someone had threatened one of their own.

It took several minutes for everyone to calm down, it didn't help that McGonagall (The one who controlled the Gryffindors the easiest) was shaking with silent rage.

**But Harry stood his ground. "Knocking the stuffing out of me won't make Aunt Marge forget what I could tell her," he said grimly. Uncle Vernon stopped, his fist still raised, his face an ugly puce. "But if you sign my permission form," Harry went on quickly, "I swear I'll remember where I'm supposed to go to school, and I'll act like a Mug – like I'm normal and everything."**

**Harry could tell that Uncle Vernon was thinking it over, even if his teeth were bared and a vein was throbbing in his temple.**

"How long did it take him to think about it?" Malfoy asked, "A while I'd bet."

Too the surprise of many Harry nodded, snickering, "It took at least ten minutes."

"**Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your ehavior carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form."**

**He wheeled around, pulled open the front door, and slammed it so hard that one of the little panes of glass at the top fell out. Harry didn't return to the kitchen. He went back upstairs to his bedroom. If he was going to act like a real Muggle, he'd better start now.**

**Slowly and sadly he gathered up all his presents and his birthday cards and hid them under the loose floorboard with his homework.**

"That's depressing, won't the cards be lonely?" Wondered a spacey looking Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood.

Her housemates gave her funny looks, but didn't say anything.

**Then he went to Hedwig's cage. Errol seemed to have recovered; he and Hedwig were both asleep, heads under their wings.**

**Harry sighed, then poked them both awake.**

"**Hedwig," he said gloomily, "you're going to have to clear off for a week. Go with Errol. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that" – Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful – "it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione."**

**Ten minutes later, Errol and Hedwig (who had a note to Ron bound to her leg) soared out of the window and out of sight. Harry, now feeling thoroughly miserable, put the empty cage away inside the wardrobe. But Harry didn't have long to brood. In next to no time, Aunt Petunia was shrieking up the stairs for Harry to come down and get ready to welcome their guest.**

"And the torture begins," Harry moaned, beating his head against the table. It was wonderfully hard, and succeeded in giving him a headache which was great for distracting himself.

Hermione sighed, "Honestly…"

"**Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he reached the hall.**

"Not likely," Ron commented, snorting. The number of times he'd watched Harry attempt to tame the rat's nest…

**Harry couldn't see the point of trying to make his hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be.**

**All too soon, there was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path.**

"**Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry.**

**A feeling of great gloom in his stomach, Harry pulled the door open. On the threshold stood Aunt Marge. She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple- faced, she even had a moustache, though not as bushy as his.**

Cho turned green, "They're an attractive bunch, aren't they?" she asked sarcastically.

Everyone enjoyed a snicker at the Dursleys expense.

**In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog.**

"**Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffy-poo?"**

**Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins. Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek.**

**Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it, and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist.**

"Zat eez O'rrible!" Madame Maxime exclaimed, she would have loathed teaching a student liking him. She suddenly felt very bad for his teachers.

"**Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry as though he was a hat stand.**

"Yup, that's me. Harry The Magical Hat Stand." Harry commented sardonically, well versed in making light of the way his family treated him.

His comment was rewarded with laughs all around; even Snape's lips were twitching.

**Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunia's bony cheekbone. Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door.**

"**Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?" **

"**Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the hall with the suitcase.**

**But Harry wasn't complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was fine by him, so he began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as he could.**

"I don't blame you in the least," Ginny told him, "We have an Aunt too that I prefer to avoid if possible."

The others Weasleys nodded.

**By the time he got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Harry saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals.**

Hagrid chuckled, catching everyone's attention, "That's because they're good judges of character."

"**Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked.**

"**Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me."**

**Ripper began to growl again as Harry sat down. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to Harry for the first time.**

"**So!" she barked. "Still here, are you?"**

"**Yes," said Harry.**

"**Don't you say yes' in that ungrateful tone," Aunt Marge growled. "It's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd have gone straight to an orphanage if you'd been dumped on my doorstep."**

Dumbledore frowned, if that had happened Harry would have been even _more _similar to one Tom Riddle.

**Harry was bursting to say that he'd rather live in an orphanage than with the Dursleys, but the thought of the Hogsmeade form stopped him. He forced his face into a painful smile.**

"**Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge.**

"**I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you."**

**She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her moustache, and said, "Where is it that you send him, again, Vernon?"**

"**St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases."**

"**I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table.**

Hermione looked horrified, "Who asks that kind of thing?"

"Aunt Marge." Harry replied flatly, reigning in his anger at what he knew was coming soon.

"**Er –"**

**Uncle Vernon nodded curtly behind Aunt Marge's back.**

"**Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "all the time."**

"**Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have you been beaten often?"**

"Someone should beat her!" Montague Flint, an older Slytherin, yelled out. He didn't like muggles to begin with and he was really starting to hate these ones in particular.

"**Oh, yeah," said Harry, "loads of times."**

**Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes.**

"**I still don't like your tone, boy," she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case."**

Professor Sprout, the gentle Head of Hufflepuff _growled, _surprising everyone and earning her some wary looks.

It seemed this particular section was evoking violent reactions from everyone. Harry shuddered to think of what would have happened had the Dursleys been there now.

**Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Harry might forget their bargain;****in any case, he changed the subject abruptly.**

"**Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?"**

**As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry caught himself thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged Harry to stay out of their way, which Harry was only too happy to do.**

**Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted Harry under her eye at all times,****so that she could boom out suggestions for his improvement.**

"Your fine just the way you are." Angelina declared, the other two chasers nodding along with her. They had all always thought of Harry as a little brother, with him being the youngest on their team, and they hated to hear how his family treated him.

Harry nodded gratefully, unsure of his voice.

**She delighted in comparing Harry with Dudley,****and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at Harry, as though daring him to ask why he hadn't got a present too.**

"As if I wanted anything from her," Harry commented dryly, "It's not like I was raised to expect such things."

Hermione frowned, and exchanged a look with Fred and George; they definitely had to get him away from that family. If Dumbledore wouldn't help, maybe they could go the muggle route and get him emancipated or something.

Determined, Hermione decided then and there to talk to her dad about it as soon as she got the chance.

**She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made Harry such an unsatisfactory person.**

"**You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it."**

**Harry tried to concentrate on his food, but his hands shook and his face was starting to burn with anger.**

_Uh oh, _was the common thought of all those who were acquainted with Harry's temper.

He didn't have his mother's red hair, but many joked that he'd still inherited her temper that had gone with it.

**Remember the form, he told himself Think about Hogsmeade. Don't say anything. Don't rise.**

**Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine. "It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup –"**

The Slytherins exchanged meaningful looks, what the muggle was saying sounded oddly similar to some views on magic and how it should be passed down. Why did it sound so bad when it came from her?

After all, many thought of Harry as lower than them because his mother was a muggle-born, never mind that the Potter family was one of the oldest around, older even than the Malfoys.

**At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping…**

"Was that you, Harry?" Hermione asked. She knew he'd blown up his aunt with accidental magic, but had this been him too?

Harry just smiled innocently at her, not answering.

"**Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?"**

"**Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip..."**

**But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry suspiciously, so he decided he'd better skip dessert and escape from the table as soon as he could.**

"Smart," Terry Boot commented, he was a muggle-born, and while his parents were okay with it, his brother and sister weren't so accepting.

It certainly made for strained holidays in the Boot household, and he could relate to the whole 'hating the holidays' feeling.

**Outside in the hall, he leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since he'd lost control and made something explode.**

"So it was you!" Hermione exclaimed, before looking at him concerned, "Is it normal for you to still have trouble with your magic?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "Most everyone's magic stabilizes at age ten, it's why you start schooling at eleven when everyone's magic should be easier to control."

People were confused, what did that mean for Harry?

What it meant, was something Dumbledore didn't seem to want to discuss as he quickly sent McGonagall causing her to being reading again.

**He couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake – if he carried on like that, he'd be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic.**

"Accidental magic is different from purposefully doing magic," Susan told him, "The sensor at the ministry should be able to tell the difference."

Harry raised his eyebrows doubtfully; _if that was true why didn't they know Dobby was the one who did the hover charm and not him?_

**Harry was still an underage wizard, and he was forbidden by wizard law to do magic outside school. His record wasn't exactly clean either.**

**Only last summer he'd gotten an official warning that had stated quite clearly that if the Ministry got wind of any more magic in Privet Drive, Harry would face expulsion from Hogwarts.**

**He heard the Dursleys leaving the table and hurried upstairs out of the way.**

**Harry got through the next three days by forcing himself to think about his Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare whenever Aunt Marge started on him. This worked quite well, though it seemed to give him a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that he was mentally subnormal.**

"Quidditch, does that to the best of us…" Wood mused, smiling at the thought of his favorite sport. People often said it was his life, and they weren't far off the mark.

Viktor nodded, he too had a life that revolved around Quidditch. He had only been here a month and he already sorely missed playing Quidditch.

**At last, at long last, the final evening of Marge's stay arrived.**

**Aunt Petunia cooked a fancy dinner and Uncle Vernon uncorked several bottles of wine. They got all the way through the soup and the salmon without a single mention of Harry's faults;****during the lemon meringue pie, Uncle Vernon bored them with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company;****then Aunt Petunia made coffee and Uncle Vernon brought out a bottle of brandy.**

Ron opened his mouth to ask if this was it, before closing it with a snap. He was acting like they weren't fighting, why did he keep forgetting? It was so much more natural to talk to Harry, that he was having trouble remembering to be mad.

_It must just be the book _he rationalized, _after all at this point in the book we WERE friends._

It almost worked, but there was still that nagging voice in the back of his mind saying that it was really because he knew deep down (Very deep down) that Harry wasn't lying.

He just wasn't ready to forgive him yet.

"**Can I tempt you, Marge?"**

**Aunt Marge had already had quite a lot of wine. Her huge face was very red.**

"**Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that... and a bit more... that's the ticket."**

**Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie.**

"No wonder he eez fat." Whispered one of Fluer's friends, who was very thin herself.

**Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out.**

"He really should have just let me go…" Harry observed.

"**Aah," said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after..." She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach.**

"**Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley.**

"_Healthy Sized!" _Madame Pomfrey spluttered, unable to believe it.

She turned to Harry, "You may be slim, but your cousin is the unhealthy one." She told him sternly, as if she thought he might believe otherwise.

"I know," he told her smiling. He had always liked Madame Pomfrey, even though he didn't like being in the hospital wing.

"**You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father.**

**Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon...Now, this one here –" She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench.**

**The Handbook, he thought quickly.**

Ron snickered, "See Hermione, Quidditch is good for something!"

Annoyed, Hermione huffed.

"**This one's got a mean, runty look about him.****You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was- Weak. Underbred."**

**Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers. "It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel****and here's the result right in front of us."**

Snape scowled, he had never liked Petunia as a child and had rarely bothered to hide it, but he still hadn't expected her to think this badly of her sister. Even if she wasn't the one to say it, she didn't protest.

What made it worse was that, back before Lily went to Hogwarts, the sisters had been close.

**Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears.**

**Grasp your broom firmly by the tail, he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills.**

"**This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"**

"He was a professional Duelist," Professor Flitwick said, "I trained him."

Harry was surprised, he had never really thought about what his father had done, though he had known that his parents must have been some kind a threat to Voldemort for him to have targeted them.

McGonagall quickly read on before they could all get side-tracked again, at this rate they'd never get through this book, let alone the next one.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents.**

"**He – didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry. "Unemployed."**

"**As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who –"**

"**He was not," said Harry suddenly.**

Fred and George gasped loudly, "Here it comes…"

"…The famous Potter temper…"

"…That makes even the bravest Gryffindor…"

"…Run and cower!" They cried dramatically.

Harry scowled at them but didn't comment as the other Gryffindors were loudly agreeing with the twins.

The rest of the school was very amused by the Gryffindor's antics, most believing they were exaggerating.

**The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over. He had never felt so angry in his life.**

"**MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white.**

"SEE! They know to avoid his anger too!" Lee yelled.

**He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass.**

"**You, boy," he snarled at Harry. "Go to bed, go on –"**

"**No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry's. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect) –"**

"She really should have just let me go…" Harry muttered, "Though she deserves what she gets."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded half-heartedly. But it was hard to tell him off, when she too thought she deserved what was coming.

"'**They didn't die in a car crash!" said Harry, who found himself on his feet.**

"**They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little –"**

**But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking.**

"Did you hit her?" Colin Creevy asked excitedly, practically bouncing in his seat.

Everyone stared at him as if he was insane.

**For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger – but the swelling didn't stop.**

**Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech – next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls – she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami –**

Laughter filled the room, everyone found this image funny. Some were laughing so hard they were crying.

The twins, in particular, had fallen out of their seats they were laughing so hard. Only Hermione and Ron had known the full story after all.

And after all the tense moments that had occurred since this book reading began, they needed this comic release.

"I can't believe you blew up your Aunt!" cried Lee, who suddenly wished they were watching what they were reading, he wanted to s_ee _this.

Fluer giggled, "She was… asking for it, no?" she suggested, speaking slowly, trying to better control her accent.

"**MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling.**

**She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises.**

**Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly.**

"I really don't like tha' dog." Hagrid growled, causing those who heard to look at him funny.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged looks. They had never thought they'd meet a creature Hagrid didn't like.

"**NOOOOOOO!" Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself.**

**A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg.**

"Zey weren't kidding about your temper were zey?" Gabrielle guessed, as she leaned sleepily against her sister.

"NOOOO! We weren't!" The Gryffindors shouted.

**Harry tore from the dining room before anyone could stop him, heading for the cupboard under the stairs. The cupboard door burst magically open as he reached it.**

**In seconds, he had heaved his trunk to the front door. He sprinted upstairs and threw himself under the bed, wrenching up the loose floorboard, and grabbed the pillowcase full of his books and birthday presents. He wriggled out, seized Hedwig's empty cage, and dashed back downstairs to his trunk, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters.**

"Were you running away?" Daphne asked curiously. She had almost done the same thing many times. She was constantly butting heads with her father, and while she couldn't do magic outside of school, _he _could.

Harry met her gaze, and recognized the understanding in her eyes, "Yeah. I was."

"**COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"**

**But a reckless rage had come over Harry. He kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon.**

"**She deserved it," Harry said, breathing very fast. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me." He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door. "I'm going," Harry said. "I've had enough."**

**And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm.**

The hall was quiet.

"That was the end of the chapter." McGonagall announced, marking the page and closing the book with a loud snap.

Hannah Abbot, a usually timid Hufflepuff, looked over at Harry, "Remind never to make you truly angry."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Hannah. You can't make people mad even when you try." Susan pointed out, bumping her shoulder against Hannah's.

Malfoy shook his head, "She's got the right idea though. Making Potter angry is dangerous."

Unable to hold it in any longer Harry began to laugh really hard, gaining him some stares. Most had never seen him truly relaxed and as such had never seen him laugh.

"I'm glad that I'm known for something that's actually true." He admitted once he managed to stop laughing, he'd always had problems with his temper and would rather be avoided for that, than for something he hadn't done.

Dumbledore, seeing conversations break out everywhere, took it upon himself to get the next chapter started.

"Who would like to read next?

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**Note: **Well, that's another Chapter down! Some reviewers have mentioned the pairing in this story, so I want to put out there now that this is not going to have a main pairing. This is mostly a friendship/family story if anything and just a way for me to explore a lot of characters. Let me know what you think! (:


	4. Chapter 3

**Title**: Proven Innocent

**Author**: SassySarcasm

**Rating**: T

**Pairings**: Trio-friendship

**Warnings**: Language, Violence

**Summary**: Harry is finally fed up with the school turning on him every other year and takes drastic measures to ensure that everyone knows what REALLY happened, enter Hermione and her knowledge of old magic and who knows what can happen.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** Well, here is Chapter 3! Just a heads up, I have a long weekend this week and my older brother and his roommate are in town, so my updates will probably slow down some, expect a new chapter around Monday? Sunday if I have time. ENJOY THE CHAPTER! (:

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_I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H_

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"Would you like to read next Severus?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses.

The man in question scowled, but accepted the book when it was passed his way.

He sent a contemptuous look at everyone in general, before opening the book with a mournful sigh.

**CHAPTER THREE: THE KNIGHT BUS**

**Harry was several streets away before he collapsed onto a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging his trunk. He sat quite still, anger still surging through him, listening to the frantic thumping of his heart. But after ten minutes alone in the dark street, a new emotion overtook him: panic.**

**Whichever way he looked at it, he had never been in a worse fix.**

Hermione laughed, "You really thought that was the worst situation you've been in?" she demanded sounding incredulous, "What about first year? Quirrell? Or Second year? Chamber of secrets? Any of this ringing any bells?"

Embarrassed, Harry blushed, "I was panicking!" he protested, "Looking back first and second year didn't seem so bad!"

Shooting him a skeptical look, Hermione nonetheless let the subject drop.

**He was stranded, quite alone, in the dark Muggle world, with absolutely nowhere to go. And the worst of it was, he had just done serious magic, which meant that he was almost certainly expelled from Hogwarts.**

"You wouldn't have been expelled," Dumbledore told him gently, "Not for losing control and performing accidental magic anyway."

Harry nodded, "I know that _now._"

**He had broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly, he was surprised Ministry of Magic representatives weren't swooping down on him where he sat.**

"The ministry doesn't move that fast," Malfoy pointed out, "Not even when they really need to."

Dumbledore glanced at Moody, expecting him to speak up in favor of the Aurors at least, but he didn't. Instead it actually looked like Moody was nodding off. That was very out of character for the man, usually he was too paranoid to get sleepy in public.

A tingle of apprehension wound its way down Dumbledore's back.

**Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent. What, was going to happen to him? Would he be arrested, or would he simply be outlawed from the wizarding world?**

**He thought of Ron and Hermione, and his heart sank even lower. Harry was sure that, criminal or not, Ron and Hermione would want to help him now,**

"Of course we would!" Hermione claimed immediately, while Ron looked down at his hands.

Clearly Harry trusted him to have his back even when the he could have been (as Harry thought at the time) a criminal, what did it say about Ron that he didn't have Harry's back now?

He was beginning to feel a trickle of guilt.

-**but they were both abroad, and with Hedwig gone, he had no means of contacting them. He didn't have any Muggle money, either.**

**There was a little wizard gold in the money bag at the bottom of his trunk, but the rest of the fortune his parents had left him was stored in a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in London. He'd never be able to drag his trunk all the way to London. Unless...**

"Oh no…" Ginny moaned, "You've had an idea haven't you?" she asked, wary of how his plans usually turned out. Ron had regaled her with all the times things had gone horribly wrong due to Harry's _ideas. _

Harry looked offended, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Snape sneered, "It means that your plans don't turn out well Potter," he told him, holding up a hand when Harry began to speak again, "Now be silent so we can finish reading and be done with this!"

Steaming in anger, Harry glared at Snape but said nothing else.

**He looked down at his wand, which he was still clutching in his hand. If he was already expelled (his heart was now thumping painfully fast), a bit more magic couldn't hurt. He had the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father**

"You have an Invisibility cloak!" wondered Cedric, feeling slightly envious. As a child he'd always wanted an invisibility cloak.

Harry sighed, running his fingers through his hair; he hadn't really wanted everyone to know about that.

Fred and George exchanged looks; maybe they could convince him to let them to borrow it for pranks?

**- what if he bewitched the trunk to make it feather-light, tied it to his broomstick, covered himself in the cloak, and flew to London? Then he could get the rest of his money out of his vault and... begin his life as an outcast.**

**It was a horrible prospect, but he couldn't sit on this wall forever, or he'd find himself trying to explain to Muggle police why he was out in the dead of night with a trunkful of spell books and a broomstick.**

**Harry opened his trunk again and pushed the contents aside, looking for the Invisibility Cloak - but before he had found it, he straightened up suddenly, looking around him once more.**

Harry smiled knowing what was coming next, though at the time it had unnerved him. But looking back, he was kind of touched that Sirius had come all that way just to get a brief look at him before heading to Hogwarts.

**A funny prickling on the back of his neck had made Harry feel he was being watched,** **but the street appeared to be deserted, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses. He bent over his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, his hand clenched on his wand.**

"Smart." Moody commented, jerking himself awake. "Never know what could be there."

Harry gave him a questioning look, but nodded in reply.

**He had sensed rather than heard it: someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind him. Harry squinted at the black alleyway.**

**If only it would move, then he'd know whether it was just a stray cat or - something else.**

**"**_**Lumos**_**," Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand, almost dazzling him.**

"Now _zat_ could get you in trouble." Madame Maxime pointed out.

Harry smiled sheepishly, "At that point I didn't think I could make it any worse, honestly."

Exasperated Hermione shook her head, rolling her eyes fondly at her best friend.

Snape cleared his throat pointedly, and started reading again.

**He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes.**

"Vat is it?" Viktor asked, curious. This book was turning out to be more interesting than he had thought it would be.

Harry just smiled mysteriously.

**Harry stepped backward. His legs hit his trunk and he tripped. His wand flew out of his hand as he flung out an arm to break his fall, and he landed, hard, in the gutter - There was a deafening BANG, and Harry threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light - With a yell, he rolled back onto the pavement, just in time.**

**A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying.**

"You must be extremely lucky." Observed Padma Patil, the Ravenclaw twin to Gryffindors own Parvati.

Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys stared at her as if she was insane. Most people thought he was _unlucky _not the other way around.

**They belonged, as Harry saw when he raised his head, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled The Knight Bus.**

**For a split second, Harry wondered if he had been knocked silly by his fall.**

"The sudden appearance of a bus like that would make me question my sanity too," Dean admitted, "I've actually ridden the Knight bus before, it's horrible."

Seamus snickered, and patted his best friend consolingly on the arm, "Don't worry, I know better than to force you to ride it again," he made a face, "I don't care for you to get sick all over me again."

"You deserved it!" Dean shot back, "I _told _you that I get motion sick and it was bad idea, but _no, _you wanted to ride the bus!" He angrily pointed out.

Metaphorically backed into a corner, Seamus was forced to concede the point.

**Then a conductor in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night.**

Dean shuddered; Stan Shunpike had certainly made his experience with the Knight Bus worse.

**"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve -"**

**The conductor stopped abruptly.**

**He had just caught sight of Harry, who was still sitting on the ground.**

"Why were you still on the ground?" Pansy Parkinson asked, sneering at him, "Couldn't remember how to get up?"

Everyone stared at her, even the Slytherins. Clearly she had meant that to be insulting, but for Slytherin standards…

Harry just lifted an amused eyebrow at her.

"And you call yourself a Slytherin?" Daphne teased, smirking at Pansy. Daphne and Pansy had never gotten along; Pansy was too much of a dutiful pureblood female for Daphne's taste.

Daphne was sure her father would have preferred her to be more like Pansy; Daphne was just too independent for his tastes.

Clearing his throat, Snape continued before his snakes started fighting in front of the school.

**Harry snatched up his wand again and scrambled to his feet. Close up, he saw that Stan Shunpike was only a few years older than he was, eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples.**

**"What were you doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.**

**"Fell over," said Harry.**

**"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan.**

**"I didn't do it on purpose," said Harry, annoyed.**

"Yeah, he didn't do it on purpose!" Fred and George chorused, all the while making faces at Harry, who stuck his tongue out at them.

**One of the knees in his jeans was torn, and the hand he had thrown out to break his fall was bleeding.**

**He suddenly remembered why he had fallen over and turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and fence. The Knight Bus's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty.**

**"'Choo lookin' at?" said Stan.**

**"There was a big black thing," said Harry, pointing uncertainly into the gap. "Like a dog... but massive..."**

Harry and Hermione avoided each other's eyes; they knew if they did look at each other they'd probably start laughing. Both were trying not to give out to many hints about what was going to happen, it would be amusing to watch them all slowly figure it out.

**He looked a-round at Stan, whose mouth was slightly open. With a feeling of unease, Harry saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on Harry's forehead.**

**"Woss that on your 'ead?" said Stan abruptly.**

**"Nothing," said Harry quickly, flattening his hair over his scar.**

**If the Ministry of Magic was looking for him, he didn't want to make it too easy for them.**

**"Woss your name?" Stan persisted.**

**"Neville Longbottom," said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head.**

Harry laughed, he'd forgotten about that.

"Sorry, Neville." He apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

Neville, however, didn't seem to mind, "Its okay, Harry."

**"So - so this bus," he went on quickly, hoping to distract Stan, "did you say it goes anywhere?"**

**"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, long's it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. 'Ere," he said, looking suspicious again, "You did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"**

**"Yes," said Harry quickly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"**

**"Eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for fifteen you get 'or chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the colour of your choice."**

**Harry rummaged once more in his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some gold into Stan's hand. He and Stan then lifted his trunk, with Hedwig's cage balanced on top, up the steps of the bus.**

**There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows.**

Those who hadn't ridden the Knight Bus frowned thoughtfully, most thinking that maybe they'd try it sometime now.

"I'm going to take the Knight bus next time I go to Diagon Alley!" Colin declared, unknowingly speaking many people's thoughts.

**Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-panelled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep.**

**"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern. "**

**Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry, who nervously flattened his bangs again and sat down on his bed.**

**"Take 'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.**

"Oh no…" Dean moaned burying his face in his hands.

Those near him sent him concerned looks, was it possible to get motion sickness when reading about something like this?

**There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street.**

**Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment.**

**"This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"**

**"Ar," said Ernie.**

**"How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.**

**"Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'."**

"Some notice more than you'd think," Hermione commented casually, "Most just don't believe them."

**"Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," said Ern. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute."**

**Stan passed Harry's bed and disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous.**

**Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel.**

**The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed.**

Dean turned green at the thought, and those near him began to edge away.

**Stan came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a travelling cloak.**

**"'Ere you go, Madam Marsh," said Stan happily as Ern stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus.**

**Madam Marsh clamped a handkerchief to her mouth and tottered down the steps.**

**Stan threw her bag out after her and rammed the doors shut; there was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way.**

**Harry wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he had been travelling on a bus that didn't keep banging loudly and jumping a hundred miles at a time. His stomach churned as he fell back to wondering what was going to happen to him, and whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling yet.**

Many laughed, "I hope it took them awhile to get her down." Hermione remarked scornfully, surprising those around her.

**Stan had unfurled a copy of the Daily Prophet and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth.**

**A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. He looked strangely familiar.**

**"That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the Muggle news!"**

**Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled.**

**"Sirius Black," he said, nodding. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville, where you been?"**

**He gave a superior sort of chuckle at the blank look on Harry's face, removed the front page, and handed it to Harry.**

**"You oughta read the papers more, Neville."**

"I'd like to see you try and keep up with any type of wizarding news while living with the Dursleys." Harry commented dryly.

**Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read:**

_**BLACK STILL AT LARGE**_

_**Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.**_

_**"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."**_

Susan snorted, "For all the good that did," she remarked remembering how stressed her Aunt had been. She'd been called into work at all times of the night because of supposed 'sighting' too many times to count that first week.

Many voiced their agreement.

_**Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.**_

"Of course he was criticized!" Kakaroff exclaimed, "Someone like Sirius Black escaped on his watch and the Muggles would have just gotten in the way!"

_**"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle.**_

_**I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it-who'd believe him if he did?"**_

_**While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.**_

**Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive.**

**Harry had never met a vampire,** **but he had seen pictures of them in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.**

**"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching Harry read.**

**"He murdered thirteen people?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with one curse?"**

**"Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all.** **Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"**

**"Ar," said Ern darkly.**

**Stan swivelled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at Harry.**

**"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.**

**"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking.**

**Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus.**

Harry sighed, "That can get really annoying, and it's just a name people! It's not even his real name!" he bemoaned, thinking that he would give the next person who flinched at 'Voldemort' a reason to flinch.

Dumbledore nodded gravely.

**"You outta your tree?"** **yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?"**

**"Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I - I forgot -"**

**"Forgot!" said Stan weakly. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast ..."**

**"So - so Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Harry prompted apologetically.**

"No he wasn't" Harry muttered, causing Hermione to elbow him into silence.

**"Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say. Anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo -" Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again.**

**"- all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over.**

**Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Laughed," said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, I 'e went wiv em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off.** **'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?"**

"That does make him sound sort of mad, doesn't it?" Hermione mused thoughtfully.

Harry snorted, "He is _mad_ Hermione. He's just not crazy, in a psychotic killer way."

**"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you ... after what he did..."**

**"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said ad 'appened, Ern?"**

**"Gas explosion," grunted Ernie.**

**"An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"**

**Ernie suddenly shivered. "Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles."**

"Ze guards are Dementors, no?" Fluer asked, she had heard they were but no one had confirmed it.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, they are."

**Stan put the paper away reluctantly, and Harry leaned against the window of the Knight Bus, feeling worse than ever. He couldn't help imagining what Stan might be telling his passengers in a few nights' time.**

**"'Ear about that 'Arry Potter? Blew up 'is aunt!** **We 'ad 'im 'ere on the Knight Bus, di'n't we, Ern? 'E was tryin' I to run for it..."**

"Wow, you have an imagination!" Terry commented, smiling at the picture Harry's thoughts had painted. That _would _have been amusing.

**He, Harry, had broken wizard law just like Sirius Black. Was inflating Aunt Marge bad enough to land him in Azkaban?**

"No, you wouldn't go to Azkaban for that," Susan told him smiling, "The most they could do would be to expel you and snap your wand."

**Harry didn't know anything about the wizard prison, though everyone he'd ever heard speak of it did so in the same fearful tone.**

**Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had spent two months there only last year. Harry wouldn't soon forget the look of terror on Hagrid's face when he had been told where he was going, and Hagrid was one of the bravest people Harry knew.**

**The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry lay, restless and miserable, on his feather bed.**

**After a while, Stan remembered that Harry had paid for hot chocolate, but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesea to Aberdeen.**

**One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go.**

"I would be too." Dean said weakly.

Seamus snickered, "Yeah, you practically kissed the ground you were so happy to get off."

**Finally, Harry was the only passenger left.**

**"Right then, Neville," said Stan, clapping his hands, "where abouts in London?"**

**"Diagon Alley," said Harry.**

**"Righto," said Stan.**

**"'Old tight, then."**

**BANG.**

**They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way.**

**The sky was getting a little lighter. He would lie low for a couple of hours, go to Gringotts the moment it opened, then set off - where, he didn't know.**

**Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby- looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.**

**"Thanks," Harry said to Ern.**

**He jumped down the steps and helped Stan lower his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the pavement.**

**"Well," said Harry. "'Bye then!"**

**But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"There you are, Harry," said a voice.**

**Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder.**

"Practically made me jump out of my skin," Remembered Harry, laughing sheepishly.

**At the same time, Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere I"**

**Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach - he had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.**

"Only you," Hermione told him, shaking her head fondly, "would run into the minister when you're trying to avoid the ministry."

"It's the Potter curse," Harry told her mournfully, pouting.

**Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.**

**"What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly.**

**Fudge, a portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.**

**"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter."**

"Cats outta the bag now," Lee observed, "You're not very good at running away Harry."

Those who heard Lee, laughed gaining them funny looks from everyone else.

**"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!"**

**"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but he and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now..."**

**Fudge increased the pressure on Harry's shoulder, and Harry found himself being steered inside the pub.**

**A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord.**

**"You've got him, Minister!"said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"**

**"Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge, who still hadn't let go of Harry.**

**There was a loud scraping and puffing from behind them, and Stan and Ern appeared, carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage and looking around excitedly.**

**"'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?" said Stan,** **beaming at Harry, while Ernie's owlish face peered interestedly over Stan's shoulder.**

**"And a private parlour, please, Tom," said Fudge pointedly.**

"OHHHH he wants to get you alone, Harry!" Fred cried, waggling his eyebrows at Harry who promptly choked.

Hermione glared at the snickering twins as she patted Harry's back.

**"Bye," Harry said miserably to Stan and Ern as Tom beckoned Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar.**

**"'Bye, Neville!" called Stan.**

**Fudge marched Harry along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlour. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.**

**"Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire.**

**Harry sat down, feeling goose bumps rising up his arms despite the glow of the fire. Fudge took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down opposite Harry.**

**"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic."**

**Harry already knew this, of course; he had seen Fudge once before, but as he had been wearing his father's Invisibility Cloak at the time, Fudge wasn't to know that.**

"I didn't particularly want anyone else to know that either…" Harry sighed, how much more would these books reveal about him?

Hermione grabbed his hand, smiling at him comfortingly.

**Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlour, closing the door behind him.**

**"Well, Harry," said Fudge, pouring out tea, "you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think... but you're safe, and that's what matters."**

**Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry.**

**"Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then... You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."**

"She doesn't even remember?" Daphne asked, "That's a shame, she certainly deserved it."

Many people nodded in concurrence with Daphne's statement.

**Fudge smiled at Harry over the rim of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying a favourite nephew.**

Harry shuddered, if he hadn't already known that Fudge was sucking up to him now that would have given it away.

**Harry, who couldn't believe his ears, opened his mouth to speak, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again.**

**"Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer** **as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."**

**Harry unstuck his throat.**

**"I always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."**

"Can you seriously blame me?" Harry wondered aloud.

**"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone.**

George snorted, "Not likely, knowing Harry. He can hold a grudge when he wants to."

"And I'm sure he wants to," Fred remarked seriously.

**"They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other - er - very deep down."**

"VEEEERRRYYY deep," Lee drawled.

**It didn't occur to Harry to put Fudge right. He was still waiting to hear what was going to happen to him now.**

**"So all that remains," said Fudge, now buttering himself a second crumpet,"is to decide where you're going to spend the last two weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the Leaky Cauldron and -"**

**"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?"**

"Did you really just ask to be punished?" Malfoy asked incredulously, "Why would you remind him you technically broke the law?"

Harry flushed in embarrassment, "I wasn't thinking straight." He defended weakly.

**Fudge blinked.**

**"Punishment?"**

**"I broke the law!" Harry said. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"**

**"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"**

"_JUST _for blowing up your Aunt?" Ron questioned, "He makes it sound like it's no big deal!"

**But this didn't tally at all with Harry's past dealings with the Ministry of Magic.**

Harry scowled, "You bet it didn't."

**"Last year, I got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" he told Fudge, frowning. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"**

**Unless Harry's eyes were deceiving him, Fudge was suddenly looking awkward.**

**"Circumstances change, Harry... We have to take into account... in the present climate...** **Surely you don't want to be expelled?"**

"It does sort of sound like you do, Harry." Angelina pointed out sensibly.

Harry sighed, he felt like he'd had to defend himself a lot this chapter.

**"Of course I don't," said Harry.**

**"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you."**

**Fudge strode out of the parlour and Harry stared after him. There was something extremely odd going on.**

"Vy question it?" A Durmstrang student wondered, exchanging a look with Viktor.

**Why had Fudge been waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron, if not to punish him for what he'd done? And now Harry came to think of it, surely it wasn't usual for the Minister of Magic himself to get involved in matters of underage magic?**

**Fudge came back, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper.**

**"Room eleven's free, Harry," said Fudge. "I think you'll be very comfortable. Just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand... I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."**

**"Okay," said Harry slowly, "but why?"**

**"Don't want to lose you again, do we?" said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no... best we know where you are... I mean..."**

**Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak.**

**"Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know... "**

**"Have you had any luck with Black yet?" Harry asked.**

**Fudge's finger slipped on the silver fastenings of his cloak.**

**"What's that? Oh, you've heard - well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed...and they are angrier than I've ever seen them."**

**Fudge shuddered slightly.**

"That would make me shudder too…" Michael Corner said, proceeding to shiver at the thought.

**"So, I'll say good-bye."**

**He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, had a sudden idea.**

**"Er - Minister? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Certainly," said Fudge with a smile.**

**"Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could -?"**

"You were determined to get that signed weren't you?" Seamus asked, remembering how everyone had felt bad about leaving Harry behind when they went to Hogsmeade.

Harry shrugged, "I wanted to go." He explained simply.

**Fudge was looking uncomfortable.**

**"Ah," he said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian -"**

**"But you I re the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission..."**

**"No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly.**

"Now you go by the rules," Harry muttered resentfully, though his mood lightened considerably when he caught Hermione rolling her eyes at him.

**'Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't... yes... well, I'll be off Enjoy your stay, Harry."**

**And with a last smile and shake of Harry's hand, Fudge left the room. Tom now moved forward, beaming at Harry.**

**"If you'll follow me, Mr. Potter," he said, "I've already taken your things up..."**

**Harry followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for him. Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe -**

**"Hedwig!" Harry gasped.**

" 'Ow did zee know where you were?" Fluer questioned.

Harry shrugged, "She's brilliant that way."

**The snowy owl clicked her beak and fluttered down onto Harry's arm.**

**"Very smart owl you've got there,"chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask." He gave another bow and left.**

**Harry sat on his bed for a long time, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig. The sky outside the window was changing rapidly from deep, velvety blue to cold, steely gray and then, slowly, to pink shot with gold.**

**Harry could hardly believe that he'd left Privet Drive only a few hours ago, that he wasn't expelled, and that he was now facing two completely Dursley-free weeks.**

**"It's been a very weird night, Hedwig," he yawned.**

**And without even removing his glasses, he slumped back onto his pillows and fell asleep.**

"Finally!" Snape sighed, "That's the end of the chapter."

McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged smiles.

Eager to hand off the book Snape passed the book of to Flitwick without even asking if the diminutive professor wanted to read.

**-0-0-0-0-**

**Note: **There's chapter 3! (: I hope it lived up to expectations lol. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews I've received so far!

So, I got a review saying that Wood graduated third year, which made me freak out lol and I went and checked my book, and turns out they were right! I honestly thought he was still there 4th year but wasn't mentioned because there wasn't any Quidditch. I apologize, but I'm not going to take it out, so please just go with it? Thanks!

And I thought I'd make it clear now that this IS a 'reading the books' fic, meaning most chapters will include the original books chapters. I'm only mentioning it because I got a review from someone about how they didn't like that I included chapters from the book? It confused me a great deal.


	5. Chapter 4

**Title**: Proven Innocent

**Author**: SassySarcasm

**Rating**: T

**Pairings**: Trio-friendship

**Warnings**: Language, Violence

**Summary**: Harry is finally fed up with the school turning on him every other year and takes drastic measures to ensure that everyone knows what REALLY happened, enter Hermione and her knowledge of old magic and who knows what can happen.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N: **So, this is a couple days later than I had originally wanted to put it up, and I'm sorry for that. I won't bore you with the details except to say that I got unexpectedly busy, and honestly thought I'd uploaded it. Turned out it was sitting in my download file and I'd forgotten to add it to the story :/ … ENJOY!

**-0-0-0-**

_I think paranoia can be instructive in the right doses. Paranoia is a skill._

_- John Shirley_

**-0-0-0-**

Professor Flitwick glared at Snape, who had just thrust the book rather unceremoniously at him.

He would probably have to search for the right page now, he thought with an irritated sigh.

Snape raised an intimidated brow; it was hard to cower from a glare that originated from someone of such small… stature.

Flitwick leafed through the pages until he found the right one, and cleared his throat before beginning…

**CHAPTER FOUR: THE LEAKY CAULDRON**

**It took Harry several days to get used to his strange new freedom. **

"Of course it did," Harry sighed, "The freest I've ever been is at school and even then I have classes and a curfew…"

Hermione smiled sympathetically, "It's like that for most of us," she informed him, with an air of her patented 'know-it-all-ness', "My parents still give me a curfew and schedule time for me to do homework."

Murmurs broke out at that, "Your parents _schedule _homework time, over the _summer?"_ Ron gasped, leaning around Dean and Seamus so he could see Hermione.

She blushed and looked around uncertainly, "...Yes?"

Harry laughed, "That explains a lot, Hermione." He told her, his smile taking any sting out of his comment.

**Never before had he been able to get up whenever he wanted or eat whatever he fancied. He could even go wherever he pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the Muggle world.**

"Who would want to visit the Muggle World?" Draco scoffed his pure-blood nose firmly in the air.

Terry Boot, a muggle-born, snickered, "You've never been to an amusement park, have you?"

"No…?" He answered, sounding as if he didn't know why that was relevant.

Terry shook his head, "You wouldn't have to ask if you'd been."

**Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests:** **funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava.**

**After breakfast Harry would go out into the backyard, take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bit, and stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall. **

"Why not just a normal door?" Harry wondered, "That's always bothered me. The Leaky Cauldron is hidden from muggles, so why the secret doorway?"

Surprisingly, it was Daphne answered, "Because some muggles who have some magic power, though not enough to come to Hogwarts, have been known to be able to see the Leaky cauldron and have wandered in," She paused, building the suspense, "Imagine if they'd been able to go straight to Diagon Alley? Bad enough some can get into the Leaky Cauldron…"\

Harry raised his eyebrows, "That makes… sense."

**Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly coloured umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases ( " it' s a lunascope, old boy - no more messing around with moon charts, see?") or else discussing the case of Sirius Black ("personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban").**

"Until he's in Azkaban?" Fred gasped.

George grabbed his twin's shoulder, "The poor, poor things!" he said dramatically.

Many snickered, and the twins lapped it up until Angelina and Alicia each slapped the back of Fred and George's heads respectively.

**Harry didn't have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour.**

Harry grinned, "The only time I didn't mind doing homework…" he mused, much to Hermione unspoken horror.

**Once Harry had refilled his money bag with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from his vault at Gringotts, he had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend the whole lot at once.**

Dean laughed, "Know the feeling mate. Whenever I get my allowance I struggle not to spend it just for the sake of spending it."

Judging by the amount of heads nodding along, it was clear that many teenagers had this dilemma.

**He had to keep reminding himself that he had five years to go at Hogwarts, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spell books,to stop himself from buying a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point).**

**He was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant he never had to take another Astronomy lesson.**

Hermione shook her head sadly, "And your laziness raises its ugly head again," she bemoaned, "If you weren't so lazy you could be at the top of our class."

Many looked at Harry in surprise, he just rolled his eyes. "Just Quidditch and my… extracurricular activities," he replied, referring to his various adventures subtly, "Would keep me from being at the top."

Pouting, Hermione crossed her arms in front of her, "That's no excuse!"

Harry laughed fondly, and smiled at his best friend and pseudo-sister.

**But the thing that tested Harry's resolution most appeared in his favourite shop, Quality Quidditch Supplies, a week after he'd arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.**

Many Quidditch players sighed longingly.

"That would tempt me too…" Katie Bell, Sighed.

**Curious to know what the crowd in the shop was staring at, Harry edged his way inside and squeezed in among the excited witches and wizards until he glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom he had ever seen in his life.**

**"Just come out - prototype -" a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion.**

**"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" squeaked a boy younger than Harry, who was swinging off his father's arm.**

**"Irish International Side's Just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. "And they're favourites for the World Cup!"**

Viktor Krum scowled; he had come so _close _to winning… if only his chasers could have been better at scoring points… or if he'd caught the snitch a little sooner.

He was surprised to feel a small hand rest on his arm, comfortingly. Looking over he saw it was a young Slytherin female he'd been introduced to earlier… Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria smiled at him, before removing her hand and turning back to the book, unaware of the long look Viktor was giving her.

He was unaccustomed to people doing things like that for no other reason than to comfort him.

**A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he was able to read the sign next to the broom:**

_**** THE FIREBOLT ****_

_**THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART PACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAM-LINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD POLISH AND HAND NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOM TAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM**_. _**PRICE ON REQUEST.**_

"It sounds amazing…" Cho said, leaning her head against her hand, "And I bet it flies even better…"

**Price on request... Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life - but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his Gringotts vault for the Firebolt, when he had a very good broom already?**

Harry looked out the window towards the Whomping Willow, _I miss that broom sometimes…_

**Harry didn't ask for the price, but he returned, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt.**

Hermione laughed, poking Harry on the shoulder, "Why am I not surprised you did that?"

Slightly red in the face, Harry shrugged noncommittally.

**There were, however, things that Harry needed to buy. He went to the Apothecary to replenish his store of potions ingredients, and as his school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones. Most important of all, he had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.**

"Still wonder why I took that…" Harry muttered, thinking of all the times his death had been predicted. Maybe Trelawney's predictions would come true this year… there was the Tri-wizard tournament.

As if sensing his negative thoughts, Hermione thumped him on the shoulder and reprimanded him with a glare.

He just smiled apologetically.

**Harry got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold- embossed spell books the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters.**

**Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.**

**Harry pulled his booklist out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. The Monster Book of Monsters was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. **

"Zat is why ee zent you zat O'rrible book!" Fleur exclaimed as the metaphorical puzzle pieces fell in place.

**Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet.**

Ron snickered, "I would have thought that too…" he commented, before quieting when he caught Harry eyeing him thoughtfully.

He had realized he was in the wrong some time ago (Ron had even wondered if he'd ever truly thought Harry had entered his name sometimes) but his pride was preventing him from apologizing.

After all what could he really say: _Sorry for backstabbing you mate, I was just too jealous of you being in the spotlight again to see sense?_

Somehow Ron thought that wouldn't cut it.

**As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him.**

**"Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "I need -"**

**"Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside.**

**He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage.**

**"Hang on," said Harry quickly, "I've already got one of those."**

**"Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning -"**

"The poor man…" Susan sighed, "By the time my aunt and I tied up the book we were both bitten several times…"

"Me too!" Was the general cry from that years Magical Creatures class.

Hagrid blushed, looking down at his hands. Boy, he was glad he'd let Hermione help pick out this year's book.

**A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.**

**"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility -cost a fortune, and we never found them...Well... is there anything else I can help you with?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist, "I need Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky."**

**"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading Harry into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling.**

McGonagall snarled, "Imprecise branch of magic, which only makes you paranoid!" She complained, looking for all the world like a child complaining about an irritating adult who just didn't _understand _them.

Chuckling, Dumbledore patted her hand, "Calm yourself Minerva."

She glared balefully at him, but quieted all the same, contenting herself with glaring at the book.

**A small table was stacked with volumes such as Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks and Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul.**

**"Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black- bound book. "Unfogging the Future. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods - palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails..."**

**But Harry wasn't listening.**

"That happens a lot when people talk about books around you…" Hermione observed, speaking from experience.

Harry smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of head.

**His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: Death Omens.- What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming.**

**"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere.** **It's enough to frighten anyone to death. "**

"The mind is very suggestive," Padme commented, "It is very easy to trick yourself into thinking you saw something you didn't."

Harry nodded, he _did _agree. But he hadn't been imagining things…. Nor was the dog he'd seen actually the grim.

**But Harry continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar...**

**The manager pressed Unfogging the Future into Harry's hands.**

**"Anything else?" he said.**

**"Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist.**

**"Er - I need Intermediate Transfiguration and The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three."**

**Harry emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with his new books under his arms and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people.**

"Do you always get like that when you're figuring something out?" Hannah Abbot asked curiously. She was in the same year as Harry, but this book was making her feel like she didn't know him at all.

Harry shrugged, and Hermione along with Ron answered for him, "Yes!"

**He tramped up the stairs to his room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed.**

**Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen Muggle street behind him and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley.**

**He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin.**

**"It can't have been a death omen," he told his reflection defiantly. "I was panicking when I saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent…** **It was probably just a stray dog..."**

"Attempting to rationalize what you saw Potter?" Snape asked scornfully, "How… muggle of you."

Harry, along with many others, glared at the potions Professor.

**He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat.**

**"You're fighting a losing battle there, dear," said his mirror in a wheezy voice.**

"Tell me about it…" Harry grumbled, letting his staring contest with Snape end. He'd have plenty of chances to butt heads with him in Potions.

**As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt;**

Dean shuddered, "That was the day _you _made me ride the Knight Bus!" He cried, pointing accusingly Seamus, who snickered.

-**he also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts.**

Neville looked up thoughtfully… he couldn't remember seeing Harry that year…

**Harry didn't stop to chat;Neville appeared to have mislaid his booklist and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother.**

_Ahhh _Neville thought _Can't blame him for not approaching me when I'm with Gram._

**Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic.**

**Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express.**

Hermione sighed exhaustedly, "I can't believe we were all there for over a week and _still _didn't manage to run into each other."

"That would have been too easy for us." Harry pointed out cheerfully, dodging the swat Hermione aimed at his head.

**He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned.**

**"Harry! HARRY!"**

**They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour - Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him.**

"Very brown?" Hermione asked incredulously at the same time the Ron cried, "Freckly?"

"I didn't write this!" Harry pointed out quickly, "And I don't think of either you that way!"

Both looked at him skeptically but let the issue drop.

**"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left,** **and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and -"**

**"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"**

"Well zat iz why you missed each other!" Madame Maxime pointed out helpfully.

**"Dad," said Ron simply.**

**Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge.**

**"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice.**

**"I didn't mean to," said Harry, while Ron roared with laughter. "I just - lost control."**

There were renewed chuckled all around as everyone remembered the last couple chapters… they may not have seen it or really been there but this book painted a pretty good picture…

**"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply.**

"I can see how it would be now…" Hermione conceded under the disbelieving looks being sent her way now.

**"Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."**

**"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested."**

Susan laughed, shaking her head. "My aunt wouldn't have let you go to jail for that." She told him, unable to hide the pride for her aunt from her voice.

Smiling Harry nodded at her. They had a lot in common, both had lost their parents to the war and been raised by Aunts, but unfortunately that was where the comparison ended.

How would things have been different for him if Aunt Petunia actually cared?

**He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"**

**"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that.**

Ron looked down, even then he'd been jealous. He was starting to feel like a horrible person, but it wasn't like he could just stop being jealous.

He really wished it was a simple as flicking a switch… he'd do it in a second.

**I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me.**

"Too right!" Fred and George chorused.

Ginny frowned thoughtfully, "Except maybe for Aunt Marge…" she pointed out.

The three remaining Weasley boys nodded in agreement.

**Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"**

**Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."**

**"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"**

**"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books -" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."**

"I don't blame him…" Parvati muttered darkly, that evil book had ripped up her favorite set of robes. She and her sister had promptly locked them up in separate trunks and thrown them in an unused closet, under lock and key.

Getting them back out for the start of the year had been… eventful to say the least.

**"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her.**

**"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I" said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies -"**

"How are you taking so many?" Padme asked curiously, she was a Ravenclaw after all, she'd love to have been able to do that.

At the same time her twin asked, "_Why_ would you take that many?"

Surprised the twins exchanged a look before turning to look at Hermione.

She just smiled at them mysteriously, glancing briefly at McGonagall, "Can't say. The books might tell you though."

Padma nodded glumly, but still resolved to listen carefully for hints as to how Hermione managed it.

**"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You're Muggle- born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"**

**"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.**

**"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered.**

Hermione sighed, "Turns out that was a rather good point…" she told Harry, remembering how worn out that schedule had made her.

**Hermione ignored them.**

**"I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."**

**"How about a nice book?" said Ron innocently.**

**"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly.**

**"I really want an owl.** **I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol -"**

**"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."**

"It wasn't Egypt…" Harry muttered darkly, catching the attention of Hermione who glared at him warningly.

**Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers.**

**"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. **

Harry snorted, "Of course I did! Otherwise I would have kept getting lost and I had enough of that at Hogwarts."

**"You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."**

**So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie. There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing.**

**The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages. A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise.**

Several Muggleborns frowned thoughtfully, including Terry, "Is that where the whole 'rabbit in the hat' magic trick came from?" He wondered aloud.

Hermione shrugged, "It's possible…"

**Then there were cats of every colour, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-coloured furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails.**

**The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter.**

**"It's my rat," he told the witch. "He's been a bit off-colour ever since I brought him back from Egypt."**

**"Bang him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket. Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took.**

**Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was second-hand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.**

**"Hm," said the witch, picking up Scabbers. "How old is this rat?"**

**"Dunno," said Ron. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother."**

"Very old… all things considered…" Hermione mumbled so only Harry could hear, "After all he had to have been 20 something when he transformed and ran away…"

**"What powers does he have?" said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.**

**"Er -"**

**The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers.**

**The witch's eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly.**

**"He's been through the mill, this one," she said. "He was like that when Percy gave him to me," said Ron defensively.**

**"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch.**

**"Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these -" She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again.**

**Ron muttered, "Show-offs."**

**"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.**

**"Okay," said Ron. "How much - OUCH!" Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.**

"And so it begins!" Harry declared, remembering how _fun _it had been to play mediator between the two that year. It seemed it was Hermione's turn to be in the middle this year…

**"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!"cried the witch, but Scabbers, shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.**

**"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed.**

**It took them nearly ten minutes to catch Scabbers, who had taken refuge under a wastepaper bin outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron stuffed the trembling rat back into his pocket and straightened up, massaging his head.**

Harry shook his head, "They kicked us all out," he told everyone mournfully," and Hedwig was so upset that I didn't buy her any owl treats after all…"

**"What was that?"**

**"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger," said Harry. "Where's Hermione?"**

"Small tiger, definitely." Harry joked, grinning when Hermione scowled at him.

The grin quickly faded to a grimace when he saw Hermione begin to reach for her wand.'

He held up his hand apologetically, "Just kidding Hermione!"

**"Probably getting her owl."**

**They made their way back up the crowded street to the Magical Menagerie. As they reached it, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.**

**"You bought that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open.**

**"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing.**

**That was a matter of opinion, thought Harry.**

Privately (No one wanted to incur Hermione's wrath) many agreed.

**The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall.**

**Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms.**

Hermione smiled, "He really is quite sweet to me…" she explained.

**"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron.**

**"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione.**

**"And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"**

**"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him."**

**"Wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron.**

**They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the Daily prophet.**

**"Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are you?"**

**"Fine, thanks," said Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione joined Mr. Weasley with all their shopping. Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him.**

Harry smiled bitter-sweetly, if only he could Sirius more than just in pictures. One time face-to-face just wasn't the same.

**"They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked.**

**"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."**

"That's because they're all incompetent…" Moody grumbled, earning another thoughtful look from Dumbledore.

**"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money -"**

**"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard.** **It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."**

Harry shuddered, he had nightmares about that.

**At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny. Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts.**

**She went very red and muttered "hello" without looking at him.**

Harry sighed, usually people who were like that annoyed him and he would just avoid them. That was hard to do when it was your best… former-best friend's sister.

_Though, _he conceded, _she's a little better this year._

**Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you."**

**"Hello, Percy," said Harry, trying not to laugh.**

**I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands.**

**It was rather like being introduced to the mayor.**

**"Very well, thanks -"**

**"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy -"**

**"Marvellous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. **

**"Absolutely spiffing."**

Angelina sighed, and exchanged glances with Katie and Alicia, in sync all three smacked them upside the head, including Lee for good measure.

"Hey!" The three protested, particularly Lee, as he hadn't even been _there._

They subsided quickly though when the three glared.

**Percy scowled.**

**"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.**.

**"Mum!" said Fred as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand too. "How really corking to see you -"**

**"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. **

**"Hello, Harry, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest.**

**"Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.**

**"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.**

**"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."**

McGonagall paled dramatically _those two as perfects!_

The thought was truly horrifying; it would be like making all the Marauders perfects!

**"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."**

**Ginny giggled.**

**"You want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.**

**"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily.**

**"I'm going up to change for dinner..."He disappeared and George heaved a sigh.**

**"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry.**

**"But Mum spotted us."**

The twins sighed gloomily, "If only she'd been a couple minutes later…"

**Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlour, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses.**

**"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.**

**"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.**

**Everyone looked up at him.**

**"Why?" said Percy curiously.**

**"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them"**

**"- for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.**

Many laughed, though much of the laughter from the Slytherin table had a distinctly cruel edge to it.

**Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.**

**"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.**

**"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "- and as I work there, they're doing me a favour -" His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Weasley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under Pressure.**

"Dead give-away" Harry pointed out seriously, "For anyone who knows the Weasleys at all."

**"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground... You are all packed, aren't you?"**

**"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."**

"Tattle-tail," Ron grumbled.

**"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table.**

**Ron scowled at Percy.**

**After dinner everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to Harry. He had just closed and locked his own trunk when he heard angry voices through the wall, and went to see what was going on.**

**The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting.**

**"It was here, on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing."**

**"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back.**

**"What's up?" said Harry.**

**"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry.**

**"So's Scabbers's rat tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've left it in the bar -"**

**"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.**

"Touchy! Touchy!" George cried.

Fred snickered appreciatively.

**"I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Harry said to Ron, and he went downstairs.**

**Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlour.**

Hermione gave a long-suffering sigh, "You're going to eaves-drop aren't you?" she asked rhetorically.

Harry laughed sheepishly, not quite meeting her eyes.

**A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'. He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlour door.**

**"-makes no sense not to tell him," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child.** **He's thirteen years old and -"**

"And this isn't exactly the first time someone's been after me." Harry pointed out dryly.

**"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!"said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's happy not knowing!"**

**"I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!" **

Hermione nodded seriously, "Better safe than sorry."

**retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves - they've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! But Harry mustn't do that this year! When I think what could have happened to him that night he ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him."**

"Not-uh." Harry said stubbornly, Sirius would never hurt him much less kill him.

**"But he's not dead, he's fine, so what's the point..."**

**"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is,**

"He most definitely is!" Harry whispered to Hermione, chuckling lightly.

Hermione smiled.

**-but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible.** **It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands.** **The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after."**

Susan shook her head, "That's not much to go on, really."

Harry snorted, "Especially when they're wrong."

**"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."**

"Ha!" Hermione said scornfully, "Safe? Yeah right, Harry finds trouble no matter where he is."

Harry sent her a wounded look, which she ignored.

**"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."**

**"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry..."**

**There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table.**

**"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Blacks been talking in his sleep for a while now.**

**Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts.'**

Many gasped, realizing why Sirius Black had broken into Hogwarts. He'd been after Harry….

**Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead.**

Harry shook his head. _Not true._

**If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You- Know-Who,and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that..."**

**There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more.**

Hermione laughed, "Only you…"

**"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster.** **I suppose he knows about all this?"**

**"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."**

**"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"**

**"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards,"** **said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that... but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."**

**"If they save Harry..."**

Harry snorted, "More like they tried to kill me several times." He grumbled.

**"Then I will never say another word against them, said Mr. Weasley wearily.**

**"It's late, Molly, we'd better go up..."**

**Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlour door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs. The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle.**

**Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge.**

Ron turned red, turning accusingly on the twins, "You! It was all you!" he exclaimed.

Meeting his gaze unflinchingly Fred asked, "Are you really surprised?"

Instantly Ron deflated, "No…"

**"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry.**

**"We've been improving it."**

**The badge now read Bighead Boy.**

**Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed.**

**So Sirius Black was after him. This explained everything.**

**Fudge had been lenient with him because he was so relieved to find him alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train.**

"Zat does make zense," Fluer said thoughtfully.

**Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared.**

**Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse;** **Mr. and Mrs. Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth.**

"Just proves that Mr. Weasley was right…" Harry muttered.

**But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him?**

"Of course they would be!" Ron cried, "There was a reason none of them ever messed with Hogwarts!"

**And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless,** **and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote. No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero.**

Hermione turned to star at Harry, "And you say that _I _need to get my priorities straight." She cried in disbelief.

**Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed.**

**He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself?**

**He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless...**

**Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind. What to do when you know the worst is coming...**

**"I'm not going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.**

**"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.**

Flitwick marked his page and closed the book, "That is the end of that chapter." He intoned his voice as cheerful as ever.

"Who would like to read next?"

Hermione hesitantly raised her hand, "May I Professor?" she asked nervously.

Smiling Flitwick nodded so quickly he almost lost his balance. Thankfully Professor Sprout reached out and balanced him.

With a flick of his wand Flitwick sent the book flying towards Hermione.

Harry quickly caught it for her, knowing she would probably miss and be hit in the face or something equally bad.

He quickly passed it over to her.

Hermione smiled gratefully at him before opening the book and preparing to read.

**-0-0-0-0-**

**Note: **Once again, sorry for the late update! :/ As always feedback is much appreciated! This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story so all encouragement and advice on how to keep it up would be very much welcomed! (: Hope you enjoyed it! Expect another chapter Sunday maybe?


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